Christie, who has not officially declared his intention to run for president but who many believe will make it official in late May, couldn’t have taken a more different stance than current president Barack Obama, who has gone on record saying he does not favor total legalization, but will not use the resources of the Justice Department to prosecute those who are operating marijuana businesses in states where it is legal.

In fact, Obama, when asked last week about the legalization of medical marijuana, said its use could be “appropriate,” as reported by The Daily Call:

“I’m on record as saying that not only do I think carefully prescribed medical use of marijuana may in fact be appropriate and we should follow the science as opposed to ideology on this issue, but I’m also on record as saying that the more we treat some of these issues related to drug abuse from a public health model and not just from an incarceration model, the better off we’re going to be.”

Conversely, CNN reports Christie told conservative Iowa radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday that marijana is a “gateway drug” and that states should not be allowed to profit from its sale:

Hewitt: Right now, we’ve got the states of Colorado and Washington flaunting federal law by allowing people to sell dope legally. If you’re the President of the United States, are you going to enforce the federal drug laws in those states?

Christie: Absolutely. I will crack down and not permit it…Marijuana is a gateway drug. We have an enormous addiction problem in this country. And we need to send very clear leadership from the White House on down through the federal law enforcement. Marijuana is an illegal drug under federal law. And the states should not be permitted to sell it and profit from it.

What are your thoughts? Should marijuana be banned? Would you vote or not vote for a presidential candidate based on his or her marijuana stance?